Tensions were already high late in January as the Eastern Conference playoff race began to tighten, and the Orlando Magic could begin to see themselves getting healthier.
The Detroit Pistons had taken the Orlando Magic's place as the up-and-coming team in the East. The darling of the league after injuries slowed the team's development. On this Saturday in January, both teams were trying to make a statement.
Orlando entered the fourth quarter trailing by two entering the fourth quarter. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs seemingly made a statement, all staying out to open the fourth quarter. The game mattered. . . to both teams. But the Magic needed it to right the ship and get back on the right path.
What followed was one of the best wins of the season.
Banchero, Wagner and Suggs led the Magic to a 20-4 run to help the Magic take full control over the game. In a season filled with injury frustration, where their three star players were playing just their sixth game together at that moment. It was a sign of what this team was capable of.
The Pistons were not happy, though. The game was marred by an altercation near the Magic's bench where Isaiah Stewart got into it with Wendell Carter. Both teams needed to be separate. Suggs, away from the play, injured his knee and would not return for the rest of the season.
Orlando secured a 2-1 season series win that ultimately did not mean much. The Pistons continued their dream season to finish as the 6-seed and challenge the New York Knicks in the first round. The Magic faltered to the 7-seed, finishing three games behind them.
Still, the seeds of a rivalry have been sewn.
It was two years ago that Moe Wagner and Killian Hayes got into an altercation near the Pistons' bench in Detroit that had several Magic players get suspended for leaving the bench area. The two teams have played some incredibly intense and physical games.
This was not their first run in and it will not be their last.
Quite simply, the Magic and Pistons make up the next big rivalry in the Eastern Conference. A first playoff matchup is surely in the cards sometime soon. They will certainly be battling for a spot atop the Eastern Conference.
Now, they will face each other in Detroit as part of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup.
let’s get it 🪄 https://t.co/TCm2y8kNGQ pic.twitter.com/tCeqdSQzWW
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) July 9, 2025
The Orlando Magic were grouped with the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers for the league's annual in-season tournament, with games beginning Oct. 31 and running through Nov. 28.
This will not be the only time the Magic and Pistons face off this season. It is certainly not going to be the last time they are compared to each other or face a major showdown. And the Magic and Pistons should be competing against each other for more years to come.
The start of a new rivalry
This is indeed the first big game in what should be a long line of big games between the two teams.
There are already plenty of storylines that should make Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic juicy for years to come.
These are teams cut from the same cloth. They are both physical teams eyeing a spot atop the Eastern Conference.
They both value their defense. Orlando ranked second in the league in defensive rating, while Detroit finished 10th in defensive rating. The two teams have carved their identities on that end to grow from the rebuilding phase.
The Pistons are a bit ahead offensively, having found shooting last year to go along with a healthy season from Cade Cunningham. But the Magic made some big moves this offseason to try to add shooting, perhaps mirroring how the Pistons greatly improved their 3-point shooting.
These teams have a lot more in common.
Jamahl Mosley and JB Bickerstaff did battle in the 2024 Playoffs in a tight seven-game series (and are good friends off the court). Paolo Banchero followed Cade Cunningham as the No. 1 pick. They both faced tons of questions as bigger ball-handlers seeking more efficient shooting.
NBA Cup is a statement moment
More importantly, both of these teams sense the opening atop the Eastern Conference. And the NBA Cup is a good chance to make an early statement of intent throughout the conference.
That is how the Orlando Magic have used the NBA Cup in each of its first two seasons, shocking the league early and staking their claim to the top of the East. Orlando has used it as a launching pad already. There is no reason to think the Magic will not take this competition seriously again.
For both the Magic and Pistons, this is an early statement to win big games and plant a flag atop the East.
The group is tough with the Boston Celtics and (likely still healthy) Philadelphia 76ers also herded with the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons in East Group B. It will not be easy for the Magic to match its feat of getting to the knockout rounds like it did last year. Orlando should still be the betting favorite to win the group.
The Magic-Celtics matchup, likely the first rematch from last year's playoffs, is certainly one of the marquee matchups that could get a national TV nod for this big in-season tournament.
But the Magic-Pistons matchup will be the most consequential. The game at Little Caesars Arena is going to have the most far-reaching consequences for the rest of the season.
Giving these two teams a game with some meaning and stakes is a big deal that will only feed a rivalry that is already pretty intense.
This will be the first of many battles between the Magic and Pistons. It is the start of a beautiful, new rivalry.